I love when comics weave important social messages into the stories. This particular tale deals with racial discrimination, particularly directed toward African Americans.

Hellboy, a somewhat grotesque red monster, is on assignment with Woodrow Farrier, a young black man with a Ph.D in Biological Sciences from the University of Chicago. They meet and speak with a white rancher, who makes some disparaging comments directed towards Woodrow. Later, Hellboy inquires about whether or not this treatment bothers Woodrow:

Hellboy: Hey, about that? Does it ever get to you?

Woodrow: What? You mean the fact that people are more accepting of a big red guy with horns and a tail than they are a black man?

Hellboy: Yeah. I figure it can’t be easy.

Woodrow: Of course it’s not easy, Hellboy! Welcome to the world.

This short conversation speaks volumes about the plight of black people. It is high time we stopped judging people by their outsides.

2 responses to “Hellboy and the B.P.R.D 1955: Secret Nature”

I think we should try to assess each person individually and as realistically as possible, not reacting (positively or negatively) to ancestry, religion, SES, perceived beauty, etc.

Imo, reverse discrimination sometimes crops up. After many years of systemic abuse, when liberation/empowerment comes it can go the opposite direction for a while. Like a pendulum that swings from one side to the other. The trick is to let the pendulum stop. Balance.

How many of us can do this without becoming aware of the dynamic… and working on it?